


Chest Injuries and the Flu Don't Mix

by eveningstar477



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Case Fic, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jack Lives, Light Angst, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25829953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eveningstar477/pseuds/eveningstar477
Summary: Peggy and Daniel pay a visit to Jack in New York not long after the shooting, and Jack isn't as well off as he'd like everyone to believe.
Relationships: Daniel Sousa & Jack Thompson, Peggy Carter & Daniel Sousa & Jack Thompson, Peggy Carter & Jack Thompson, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	Chest Injuries and the Flu Don't Mix

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Needle Arts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10389321) by [Sholio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sholio/pseuds/Sholio). 



> I never thought I'd write case fic, but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. (Though I have to admit it's mostly just an excuse to whump poor Jack.) I would be lying if I said this work wasn't inspired by the incredible Sholio (many more than just the fic listed above), equally fantastic glorious_spoon, and many other writers from this fandom. So many of my headcanons exist because I read them in your fics.
> 
> Also, this was written as Daniel/Peggy, but if you want you could probably get away with pre-OT3 too.
> 
> The usual disclaimer: don’t own the characters or the show, just adore them, that’s all.

It had been only a month and a half since Jack returned to New York, and Peggy and Daniel, though loathe to admit it, were worried. He’d spent nearly 3 weeks in the hospital after the shooting, having died on the table twice and then had a second operation two days later to deal with complications.

After he’d been released, he’d spent another month and a half convalescing at the Stark Mansion. Though he’d been typical Jack and complained, picking fights and driving everyone mad, Peggy knows he enjoyed his time there. He and Ana Jarvis had formed an unlikely friendship, bonding over their recent injuries and the Bernice Mountain puppy Mr. Jarvis had bought. In fact, she’d taught him how to knit, and while he’d never finished a project, he’d gotten pretty good at it. 

But of course he’d gotten antsy, and insisted on returning to New York, even if he would be confined to desk duty for a month when he arrived. Much to Daniel and Peggy’s dismay, he’d boarded his plane six weeks ago, still wafer thin and pale and cautious in his movements, and left them behind in L.A. 

They talked frequently on the phone, of course, but that didn’t ease Peggy and Daniel’s worry. He’d moved off of desk duty two weeks ago, and recently, as fall faded into winter and the weather in New York turned bitter, Jack often sounded worn out, and occasionally a muffled cough could be heard. Daniel knew first hand how the cold, damp climate of New York encouraged respiratory diseases, and he was sure that Jack’s healing chest wound probably wouldn’t respond well. After the midnight oil incident, he’d caught every flu bug that went around. In fact, the drier, warmer California climate was one of the reasons he’d applied for the L.A. job. 

Fortunately, an SSR wide conference had come up in New York, and Peggy and Daniel had an excuse to drop in on Jack. They landed in New York four days before the conference, figuring they’d use the time to catch up with Jack and some of their other New York friends and colleagues. After they left the airport, they left their bags in Howard’s NYC mansion with Angie (who was thrilled to see Peggy again, and asked endless questions about L.A. life and Hollywood and whether or not it was better than Broadway), and then headed to the SSR office.

It felt odd to enter the phone company’s building and check in with a receptionist who wasn’t Rose, but to Peggy and Daniel it felt as if not much else had changed. The bullpen had the same feel as before, with agents clattering away on typewriters and making good-natured jokes. Jack, of course, was in his office. However, that’s where the similarities to old times ended.

Peggy rapped on the door to Jack’s office out of courtesy before letting herself and Daniel in. They’d expected Jack to be a little worse for wear, but they weren’t prepared to find him with his head down on the desk, hair falling out of its carefully gelled state and over his eyes, asleep. 

Peggy cleared her throat loudly, and Jack jerked awake with a gasp. He scrubbed a hand over his face and pushed his hair back into place. Peggy and Daniel watched as he quickly pulled himself together, falling into his usual snarky, nonchalant manner they could see right through, but played along with to avoid conflict. 

“Hey, if it isn’t the two lovebirds,” Jack said as he flashed a smile at Peggy and Daniel. Peggy, as ever, got directly to the point, “Jack. I’d say it’s nice to see you, but you look awful.”

“Oh, great, and the mother hens are back,” Jack groaned, but softened his tone as he assured Peggy “I’m fine. Just a tough case, haven’t exactly had enough time to sleep. You know how it is.”

Peggy leveled a disbelieving stare on him, but let it go. Daniel, meanwhile, limped over to the desk, setting the crutch on the floor and using both hands on the desk to brace himself as he leaned over Jack’s shoulder. 

“What kind of case? Maybe we can give you a hand.” With a healthy dose of sass, Daniel added, “After all, we are your best agents.” Jack huffed a laugh at Daniel’s jab. “Yeah, you wish. But sure, yeah, we could use an extra couple sets of hands.” Peggy smiled at the two of them settling back into their old routine, making good-natured insults and teasing. She too joined them at the desk, taking a look at the blueprints and case files Jack had been napping on. 

“There’s been reports of old Hydra tech falling into the hands of a local gang. Police reported that victims have unnatural burns, probably caused by some sort of high-tech laser or potentially a chemical weapon. We’ve been running around-the-clock stakeouts, trying to -“

Jack broke off, coughing violently into the crook of his elbow. It was a wet, hacking sound that left him gasping for breath and Daniel and Peggy shooting concerned glances at each other over his head, but they refrained from commenting. As stubborn as Jack was, they knew that if his health was truly a problem that would endanger him or other agents, he would say something. 

Jack took a breath, composing himself before continuing, “Stop looking at me like that. Not dying. Just dust or something.” Behind him, Peggy gave a disapproving stare, but he pretended not to notice her eyes boring into the back of his head. “Anyway, as I was saying, we’ve been doing stakeouts of the gang’s headquarters for the last 48 hours, trying to catch them red handed. Matter of fact, it’s my turn to take over in a couple hours. If you don’t mind, I’ll give some of the other guys on rotation a couple hours off and let you join me.”

Daniel gave a fond groan. “Yeah, that’ll be fun. Stuck in a car with you for 6 hours. But hey, for old times’ sake, right?” Peggy smiled. “Of course we’ll come, Jack. We can’t very well deny your agents a good night’s rest. You know, Daniel and I can handle it on our own though. You could take the night off too.”

Jack laughed. “And leave you two to inevitably blow something up and leave me with a mountain of paperwork? No way. I’m coming too.”

…………………………………….

An half hour later, they were parked in a side alley across the street from the gang’s rumored hide out. Daniel had insisted on driving, and Peggy had stolen shotgun, much to Jack’s dismay, but their plan had worked, because about ten minutes into the drive, Jack had nodded off against the back window, and was still asleep when they arrived.

Peggy craned her neck around the seat to sneak a glance at their sleeping friend. “He really does look awful,” she noted to Daniel, who nodded, face grim. 

“That cough doesn’t sound good, and he’s looking a little flushed now. Might be running a fever,” Daniel noted matter-of-factly, but Peggy could see the concern creasing his face. Before they could continue scrutinizing Jack, the subject of their conversation stirred.

“Anything good happen yet?” Jack mumbled as he pulled himself into a more upright position, and Daniel responded with a curt no, then elaborated, “One guy went in about five minutes ago, but that’s the only action we’ve seen.”

Jack groaned. “Typical. That’s all that’s happened the last two days on these stakeouts. Just people coming and going, nothing overtly suspicious. Starting to feel like the police are wrong about this being the headquarters.”

Another two hours passed, and it seemed like Jack might be right about the police having the wrong address. Nothing of any consequence had happened in or around the old warehouse building. For a little while, the three of them sat in the car discussing recent cases, with Jack’s stifled coughs occasionally breaking the chatter, but that soon dissolved into somewhat friendly but also frustrated banter about making incorrect tactical choices. At one point Daniel, tired of being stuck with an increasingly irritable Jack, had gone to pick up food, and so they were eating pizza (Daniel had to agree with Jack that L.A. pizza just didn’t hold up to the NYC standard) and sharing stories about the happenings in L.A. over the last month and a half.

Currently, Peggy was sharing some ridiculous story about Mr. Jarvis chasing down Bernard the flamingo, who’s latest adventures apparently involved breaking into the giraffe cage at Howard’s ever-growing menagerie. Daniel was laughing, and even Jack, who was visibly wilting as the flush on his cheeks became more pronounced, had cracked into a genuine grin.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from inside the warehouse, followed by a scream and a number of raised voices. Jack jolted to attention, scrambling for the door handle. Suddenly, he seemed much more alert and capable and far less like he was about to give into the fever and fall asleep again. Peggy, of course, was already outside, strapping her gun into a man’s waist holster on the belt of her pantsuit. Daniel awkwardly maneuvered his crutch out of the backseat footwell and hurried to catch up with the others.

Peggy suddenly raised a hand, signaling for them to stop. She whispered, “They still don’t know we’re here. Stealth is our best option to avoid whatever Hydra tech this is. By that scream, I’d guess the burn-causing device has already been used, and the operator is most likely still in the building. Daniel, you radio for backup and watch the side door for anyone attempting to escape. Jack and I’ll go in the front and try to apprehend the device.”

Daniel nodded. Normally, he might be miffed at being told to simply guard the door, but he could see the logic in Peggy’s plan. It was highly likely that he would actually see some action at the back door, for the person wielding the weapon would probably attempt to escape, seeing as the scream was liable to draw unwanted attention. Additionally, it left Jack in the company of Peggy so she could keep an eye on him. If Jack wasn’t as fit for field duty as he made it seem, Daniel knew Peggy could protect both herself and him.

Peggy watched Daniel head for the back exit, then crept her way across the rest of the parking lot towards the front door, Jack at her heels. Now that they were up against the building, they could hear voices arguing inside, but couldn’t make out the words.

Peggy eased the door open a crack, then snuck in, leading with her gun. When she was certain the front of the building was clear, she stuck her hand out and motioned for Jack to join her. They crouched for a minute behind a storage pallet, taking in their surroundings, and then each took a direction to sweep. Meeting up on the other side of the pallet, they froze as one of the voices grew louder. 

“I told you that device would get us all caught! Now look what you’ve done! Burned one of our own men and probably caught the cops’ attention! We gotta get the hell outta here, man! Put down that stupid thing!”

Another voice responded, “No, I’m not gonna give this up to someone else! You can go, but I’m staying.”

The first set of footsteps hurried off, presumably towards the back exit, where Peggy knew Daniel would be ready to intercept and place the man in custody. She and Jack, meanwhile, would hopefully be able to apprehend the owner of the second voice, who clearly was in possession of the device.

She gestured for Jack to stay behind her, to which he responded with a sharp glare, but did as instructed. Despite the fact that he was Chief and technically outranked her, he knew better than to try to question Peggy’s authority in the field. He’d made that mistake one too many times.

The two of them moved up to the next pile of boxes and peered around. From here, they could see a tall, scrawny man clutching a large, almost camera-like device to his chest. Jack leaned into Peggy’s ear and whispered “Clear” after he’d scanned the room for other hostiles. All he could find was the man who’d unfortunately become the device’s next victim, unconscious on the ground with a vicious burn coloring his face and arms.

Peggy picked up a discarded wrench from the floor, and threw it across the room. As expected, the man with the device spun rapidly in the direction of the crash, frantically yelling “Who’s there?!”. Peggy and Jack took that opportunity to sneak up behind him, and suddenly Peggy had tackled him to the ground and wrestled the device out from his arms.

Unfortunately, the man wasn’t surprised for long. Peggy had scrambled away once the device was in her possession in an attempt to prevent him regaining control of it. That mean that Jack was left to receive the brunt of the man’s retaliation. The man’s foot came out of nowhere, kicking Jack’s gun aside, and then suddenly Jack was pushed to the ground, and he saw stars as the wind was knocked out of his already weakened lungs.

But of course Peggy was there, and when he’d regained control of himself enough to sit up, the man was on the ground, hands tied behind his back with Peggy’s knee planted firmly in the small of his back.

She quickly got him to his feet, then addressed Jack, who was still sprawled on the floor. “Once you’ve gathered yourself, Chief Thompson, I suggest you hand that device over to the scientists. They should be arriving soon, considering Daniel called for backup before we entered. Be careful, don’t want any more lasers fired, do we?”

Jack managed a nod in her direction, and sat there gasping in an attempt to catch his breath even after she left. As much as he despised looking weak in front of Peggy and Daniel, it would be much worse in front of the backup Daniel had called, so he reluctantly hauled himself up from the floor, wincing as the skin around his scar tugged, and gathered the device to bring outside.

…………………………………

Peggy dragged the man she’d apprehended outside and bundled him into a waiting SSR car. Just as she’d suspected, Daniel’s backup had already arrived. Seemed Daniel had also caught his culprit, now also in the back of an SSR car. Daniel himself seemed a little worse for wear, his hair out of place and his limp a little more pronounced. She gave a questioning look, but he reassured her, “First hit with the crutch didn’t quite knock him out. Had to give chase for a minute or two, but he wasn’t going anywhere with a lump like that on his head. I’m fine, just a little sore.”

Peggy gave him a smile, and then turned around to search for Jack. He’d seemed awfully out of sorts again after he went down, like the hit combined with the fading adrenalin had reminded his body how much it was struggling to cope with his recent injury and resulting illness. However, she’d also expected him to pull himself together, at least until it was just the three of them again. 

Sure enough, second later, Jack came out of the building and handed off the Hydra device to one of the scientists. He made his way over to her and gave her a lopsided smile. “Nice work there, Carter. Guess I owe you another one.”

“I think it means you owe me a drink, Jack,” Peggy laughed, but then sobered and added, “but another time. For now, I think it’s best that all three of us get some rest.”

With that, she went to retrieve the car. This time, she drove, and Daniel took the passenger seat, but this time, Jack didn’t complain, simply sliding into the back of the car with a groan. Daniel huffed a laugh. “Finally willing to admit you’re hurting, Jack?” he asked good-naturedly. Jack replied in his usual sarcastic fashion, “Yeah, Sousa, getting punched in the stomach tends to hurt.”

But Peggy and Daniel watched as he slid down to lie horizontal on the seats and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing at his temples. They exchanged a solemn look, knowing that for Jack to willingly demonstrate his pain and exhaustion outwardly, things were more serious than he was making them seem.

For now, though, they let him sleep, and allowed him to keep the impression that they would drop him off at his apartment on the way back to Howard’s. Worryingly, when they stopped out front of Stark’s mansion, Jack groaned but didn’t wake fully. Peggy went around to the rear door while Daniel extracted himself from the car, moving stiffly after his encounter with the gang member. 

Gently, Peggy placed a hand on Jack’s good shoulder and shook him lightly. He jerked into a sitting position, then relaxed when he saw it was Peggy who’d woken him. Like Daniel, it took him a bit to get out of the car, and his irritation at seeing that he was not, in fact, at his apartment as he’d been promised was tangible.

He turned to Peggy with an accusing look, but before he could say anything, her hand was suddenly pressed to his forehead. He started, but instead of pulling away leaned every so slightly into her touch. Peggy gave him a fond smile. “You’re not going anywhere with a fever like that. You know chest wounds and the flu don’t mix well. Somebody’s gotta make sure you don’t stop breathing.” She gave a little laugh, intending it more as a joke, but a part of her knew that it was true - the flu was generally harmless, but in Jack’s condition it could lead to serious complications, like pneumonia or something else.

She gave him a gentle prod in the back with her finger, and he sighed and grudgingly followed Daniel into the house. She followed, and laughed when she found Jack sprawled on the first couch he saw, arm up over his eyes. 

“How about we find a real bed?” He just hummed and shook his head. “Comfy here” he mumbled, and she gave another laugh and dropped a blanket from the nearby chair over his legs. Just then, Daniel re-entered the room, thermometer in hand.

Peggy grinned at him. “One step ahead as always. Thank you, darling.” Jack groaned “Get a room” in exasperation, and both she and Daniel laughed. She stuck the thermometer in Jack’s mouth, and frowned at the reading she got a few minutes later. “Hmm. 102. Not awful but higher than any of us like it, I’m sure. Daniel, you sit with him a minute, I’ll grab some washcloths and water.”

Daniel gratefully took a seat in the armchair, happy to relax after a long day. Jack dragged his arm off his face finally, and shot Daniel a look that was filled with embarrassment and resigned acceptance. “You don’t have to stay, you know. I’m fine.” Daniel nodded. “Of course. But Peggy worries.” And so do I, he thought, but didn’t voice that thought. He knew Jack didn’t want any pity. And he wouldn’t get it, at least not from him or Peggy. They both knew what it was to be injured and kept out of the fight, but they also knew the importance of taking care of your friends.

“You should really try to get some rest,” Daniel added, “we’ll wake you up when dinner is ready. Then you can get a good night’s sleep in an actual bed.” Jack nodded and rolled over away from Daniel with a wince.

No more than five minutes later, Daniel heard his breathing even out into sleep. Peggy came back in, and he raised a finger to his lips. She nodded, quietly making her way to the couch to lay a wet washcloth across the back of Jack’s neck, since his forehead was buried into the back of the couch. 

Joining Daniel on the other side of the room, she whispered “I called Angie. She should be done her shift soon, and said she’d do dinner, not to worry about it. I thought maybe we could catch a nap before then too.” He smiled and nodded. 

The two of them made their way to the downstairs bedroom where they’d left their luggage earlier. Peggy didn’t even change, just curled up under the covers. Daniel quickly doffed his prosthetic and pulled on a pair of pajama pants, not even bothering to pin up the leg for now. Soon, they were curled up together.

“You know he’ll be fine, right?” Daniel murmured into Peggy’s hair. She nodded, and replied “Yeah. Now that we’re here, I’m sure everything will be okay. Sometimes that man is too stubborn for his own good.” Daniel chuckled, and the two of them closed their eyes. Within minutes, they were asleep too, and the house was quiet.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to drop prompts for Agent Carter or SHIELD in the comments (I don't have a Tumblr, sorry) and I'll see what I can do! Everlasting quarantine has given me oodles of time....
> 
> EDIT: I do have a tumblr now!!! Come listen to me babble at eveningstar477.tumblr.com


End file.
